When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s check out a few hero running backs our analysts are targeting in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts. And here’s a reminder of what we mean by Hero RB Fantasy Football Draft Strategy.
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Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Hero RBs to Target
Let’s dive into Hero RBs we like to target in fantasy football drafts.
Freed from the constraints of his rookie-year playcaller, Arthur Smith, Bijan thrived in his second NFL season under new Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, piling up 1,887 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. Bijan is sublimely talented and just getting started. I think he deserves to be the first RB off the board in 2025 fantasy drafts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Jahmyr Gibbs was RB2 overall through 18 weeks, averaging just shy of 20 points per game in half-PPR. He led all RBs in weekly RB1 (63%) and RB2 finisher rate (94%). The Lions RB outscored all non-QB Week 13 onward winning fantasy leagues. Over the last month, he exploded averaging nearly 30 points per game. A lot will be made about how we can project Gibbs in 2025 with David Montgomery still involved. But in Weeks 1-14, Gibbs was RB5 in points per game (16.9). We also saw Gibbs’ receiving usage really increase down the stretch, and that could very well increase in Year 3. The floor-ceiling combination for the 23-year-old RB makes him a consensus top-3 RB.
– Andrew Erickson
The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft could have an enormous fantasy impact right away. Jeanty is fast, has great vision, and his contact balance is otherworldly. Jeanty is used to handling big workloads after being a heavy-duty back at Boise State, and he adds value as a pass catcher. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly likes to run his offenses at a brisk pace, which should help Jeanty pile up touches. I have no issues with anyone who wants to take Ashton Jeanty in the top half of the first round in 2025 fantasy drafts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
I was not high enough on the Ravens’ RB in 2024, despite what my colleagues tried telling me. Henry scored 18 TDs. It was his best statistical year since his 2,000-yard campaign. That makes sense, given that Henry rushed for over 1,900 yards. The King was the RB3 overall through 18 weeks (RB2 in 17 weeks). He “once again” shoved the fantasy football nerds into a locker, who faded him for not having a role in the receiving game. With a core nucleus of Lamar Jackson, Henry and offensive coordinator Todd Monken all returning to Baltimore it’s hard to envision Henry as anything but a top-5 fantasy RB in 2025.
– Andrew Erickson
Achane continued his strong RB1 ways last year as the RB6 in fantasy points per game. In his 16 full games played, he averaged 17.3 touches and 92.6 total yards. His otherwordly per-touch efficiency didn’t hold up last year, but that doesn’t mean he was bad. Among 46 qualifying backs, he was 19th in explosive run rate and missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). He was a stud in the passing game, sitting at ninth in yards per route run and second in target share and receiving yards per game. I have plenty of questions about the Dolphins for 2025, but Achane isn’t one of them. He should continue to post RB1 numbers in 2025.
– Derek Brown
McCaffrey’s 2024 season was derailed by bilateral Achilles tendonitis. Yes, I know it crushed many fantasy teams. Yes, I know that if you drafted him last year, you’re probably saying, “hell no…I won’t be walking down that road again.” I’ll get this out of the way quickly. I’m back in. George Kittle had similar issues with his Achilles, but after he received stem cell infusions, it hasn’t remained a problem. McCaffrey had a similar treatment last year and enters this season fully healthy from all reports. In the small sample we got from McCaffrey last year, his numbers remained strong. In the three full games he played, he averaged 18.6 touches and 93.7 total yards, all while playing 81-94% of the snaps. McCaffrey’s 22% missed tackle forced rate and his 1.80 yards per route run were strong (per Fantasy Points Data). Among those two statistical categories, McCaffrey ranked eighth-best (70 qualifying backs) and sixth-best (53 qualifying backs). McCaffrey has at least one more big season left. I’ll be investing heavily in him for 2025.
– Derek Brown
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